I checked into a fleabag hostel today in Amsterdam. 30 euros/night to sleep in a room with five smelly guys. Public showers and smelly bathrooms.

Since Monday, I've been through Vienna, Slovakia, The Czech Republic, Dresden, cut through the heart of Germany and arrived here last night. I am exhausted, but must keep going. Still more to see, still substances to imbue, people to meet.

Overall, many aspects of travelling totally suck. Lodging is overpriced and dragging luggage is killing me. Overall,Europe is about as expensive as America, so there is no such thing as "cheap," especially in Western Europe. I hope things get better in Krakow and Budapest.

Still, I'm seeing so much, driving to endless points, inhaling the mountain air of the Alps, watched the Japanese Anime film "Akira" in German, and soon I'll be having extatic (sic) visions. Being in foreign lands is great, but being a dumb tourist is lacking in charm for me. If I had another thousand euros, life mighyt be a little easier.

But I'm here, alive, cured of diarhea, and filled with a roughshod determination to make something of this trip.

Amsterdam awaits.

I HAVEN'T WASHED MY CLOTHES IN OVER A WEEK